I'M USED

A while back I was in someone’s office and I noticed the following verse hanging on the wall… John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

It made me think about the times during my Christian walk that I’ve experienced periods of darkness. More often than not because I was follow Jesus.

I think that’s why we continue to experience at least spots of darkness at times, because we never completely follow Jesus. Even the strongest believer and straightest follower gets lost along the way at times.

Now, I don’t mean that God is punishing us for not obeying Him but that we are not receiving the blessings we could because we have not been obedient to Him in the first place.

When we step out of the light we are in darkness and the further we stray from the light the darker it gets. It seems so simple yet, sooner or later, one way or another, we always seem get there…

No, sorry it’s not that kind of free. It’s Free Book by Brian Tome. When you pull a book from my shelves you can usually tell how much I got out of it by the number of sticky tabs I have placed in the pages. Well, this book is loaded.

I’ve always considered myself a patriot. I have had the privilege to serve our country in the US Army. Through this service I have been had the opportunity to travel to and live in foreign countries and observe life under the rule of different types of government. This has given me an appreciation for the freedoms we have. Unfortunately, I feel we have allowed these freedoms to be distorted and to breed a “me, my, I” type of culture instead of the “HE, HIS, HIM” lives we are called to live. Of course, this attitude has been fed by the enemy of God and has grown into the free-for-all “I know what’s best for me” society we now live in.

In Free Book we explore true freedom. The kind of freedom afforded to one that is all-in with Jesus. One who has submitted to the authority of God. Most of us believe we are free when we are actually held captive by our fears. In 1 Peter 3:14 Peter tells us “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.’” Whether it’s taking the next step in your faith walk or simply looking into the claims of this guy they call Jesus, we all have things that keep us from our full potential and therefore keep us from being truly free. These “strongholds” vary in all of us but they all have one thing in common, they keep us from becoming the Spirit-filled free spirit we can all be.

Brian has a very normal and common way of explaining things. This book has opened my eyes more to the freedoms I have been given by our God and how I need to exercise those freedoms to show others the life they can have through Him. 1 John 4:18 says “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” This is what is being offered to each and every one of us, a perfect love from a perfect God. Somewhere to cast our fears and in return receive love… and it’s all free, you just have to accept it.

Thank you Brian, for your time, dedication and obedience to Him in writing this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

…the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.
-Psalm 136:9

The term “blue moon” generally refers to the second full moon in a month and occurs just once every 2.7 years. The last blue moon to shine on New Year’s Eve was 19 years ago, in 1990.

At that moment in time I found myself utterly alone in a sea of soldiers. It was my second wedding anniversary and I was sitting alone on the shores of the Persian Gulf and my bride was not there to share it with me. In fact, due to my military service, we had only been able to share together, less than 320 days of the last 730 we had been married. But there I sat under the largest brightest view of the moon I had ever and have since seen. I can still see it when I close my eyes and I am still in awe of the beauty of this object that our creator placed there for us to wonder over.

That moon got me through a lot that night and many more. To know that she was safe somewhere under that same moon, being watched over by a loving, caring, gracious God. Even then as a “non-believer” I prayed for her and her safety. I prayed for God to get us through this and bring us back together. He came through on that promise and we are still married after 21 years.

Now, I would be lying if I said it was easy and hard even seems like an understatement at times but He came through on that prayer and so many others over the years. I am still in awe of and ever so grateful for the patience and grace God has instilled in my wife.

Even now there are times when I feel alone in my life but I rest in the comfort that we have a God that watches over each one of us. One that answers our  prayers in more ways than we can even imagine. Thank You Lord and thank you Jenni.

Father, I pray for the safety of all people tonight. As we gather to celebrate yet another year You have given us on this earth I ask that You keep us safe and warm in Your love and care. Please Father, bless this New Year and use it to use us to further build Your Kingdom. In Jesus holy name we pray, Amen.

Over the last year or so I’ve caught a little flack from my family and friends about my using Twitter (one less since I got my wife @jenniphillips hooked on it). I was going to write about why I liked and used Twitter but then I saw a blog by Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Inc. and I figure “hey he hit the nail on te head! I’ll just repost it. You can follow him on Twitter here @michaelhyatt. You can follow me on Twitter here @rickphillips.

Don’t know what Twittering is? Read my original post on this topic. If you want to know how to get started, read my Beginner’s Guide to Twitter.>

If you are wondering why in the world you should consider it, here are twelve reasons:

1. It will enable you to experience social networking first-hand. One of my pet peeves is people who pontificate on new technologies but have never actually used them. This is particularly annoying—but common—among CEOs. Real users can always tell the difference. There is no substitute for personal experience.
2. It will make you a better writer. Twitter only allows you to post 140 characters at a time. As a result, you are forced to be concise. In my opinion, this is one of the hallmarks of good writing. Short messages. Short paragraphs. Short sentences.
3. It will help you stay connected to people you care about. This is one of the few technologies I’ve found that actually contributes to community-building. In today’s busy world, it’s difficult to keep up with others. Twitter makes it easy—and fun.
4. It will help you see a new side of your friends. In an odd sort of way, Twitter “humanizes” people and provides a context for better understanding them. If you follow me on Twitter, for example, you’ll quickly see that I get excited, bored, frustrated, and confused—sometimes all in the same day. You’ll also learn what is important to me and what drives me crazy.
5. It will introduce you to new friends. I have now met several new people via Twitter. These have contributed to my life in small but significant ways. Gail and I have even had dinner with a couple that we met via Twitter.
6. It is faster than text-messaging. In a sense Twitter is a universal text messaging system. You can broadcast to all of your “followers” (i.e., people who subscribe to your Twitter feed) or send a direct message to just one. As a result, I have almost completely stopped text messaging. The only time I use it is to reply to someone who messages me outside of Twitter.
7. It will make you think about your life. As you answer the question, “What am I doing?” you start to see your life through the lens of the people following you. Interestingly, it has made me more intentional and thoughtful about my life.
8. It will help you keep up with what people are talking about. Via Twitter, I have learned about hot books, cool software, breaking news, and even great restaurants. Because the information is coming from real people who care enough to Twitter about it, I have found it more valuable and authentic.
9. It can create traffic for your blog or Website. I have noticed a 30% uptick in my blog traffic in the last 30 days. It may be related to the fact that I have been in the news more or have been writing on more controversial posts. However, I also think it is related to the fact that I am Twittering every time I post a new blog entry. This seems to have a viral effect.
10. It requires a very small investment. Twitter itself is a free service. In terms of my time, I probably invest less than 20 minutes a day. Since “tweets” (i.e., posts) are limited to 140 charters or less, you can scan them in a second or two. Writing them usually takes less than 30 seconds.
11. It can help build your personal “brand.” When people hear your name, what comes to mind? What is your reputation? What is the “brand promise”? Brands are built incrementally, one interaction at a time. Twitter gives you one more way to build your brand, one tweet at a time.
12. It is fun! Twitter is just plain entertaining. Following your family and friends is kind of like watching reality TV. The difference is that you know the people and actually care about them. In this sense, it is even more fun, because you know more about the people from other contexts. Don’t believe me? Give it a try.

I’m sure there are some downsides to Twitter that I am either ignoring or don’t recognize. But I would rather jump into the fray and shape the future of social networks rather than sit on the sidelines and throw stones.